Florida Panthers Executive Vice President and General Manager Dale Tallon announced today that F Nick Bjugstad underwent successful surgery on his lower back today at the Mayo Sports Clinic in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He will be out for the remainder of the regular season and a full recovery is expected.

“After consulting with Nick and thoroughly evaluating the extent of his injury, we mutually felt it was important to have this procedure done as soon as possible,” said Tallon. “Nick showed a tremendous amount of character over the past month, playing through an injury, while helping our club compete down the final stretch for a playoff spot. He will be closely monitored by our medical staff during his rehabilitation process and will be ready for the start of training camp in September.”

Florida Panthers Executive Vice-President and General Manager Dale Tallon announced today that the club has agreed to terms on a six-year contract with F Nick Bjugstad.

“We are very pleased to have agreed to a long-term contract with Nick,” said Tallon. “He is a big, strong and skilled forward who will play an important role on our club for the next several seasons. Nick, along with Aleksander Barkov, Aaron Ekblad, Erik Gudbranson and Johnathan Huberdeau are all part of our club’s growing nucleus of young and talented players that will lead our team to future success.”

Bjugstad, 22, currently leads the Panthers in goals (13), points (21), shots (94) and game-winning goals (3). He has recorded four multiple-point games this season, including a career best four points (2-2—4) on Nov. 16 at Anaheim. He has posted two four-game point scoring streaks this season and netted Florida’s game-winning goal in a NHL record 20-round shootout on Dec. 16.

The 22-year-old appears primed for a breakout season this year and has been brimming with confidence during a stretch of stellar play recently. Thursday night, the former University of Minnesota standout tallied twice in the Panthers 3-2 shootout victory over the San Jose Sharks and got the difference-maker on his first shootout try of the season. Just two games prior, Bjugstad recorded a career-high four points.

With seven points in the last three games, he appears to have put the lengthy scoring drought he went through to open the season in the rearview mirror. Look for big things from him in his third year as a pro.

While the centres are first-round NHL draft picks and products of the heavily scrutinized University of Minnesota program, the 6-foot-6, 220-pound Bjugstad is coming off a 25-goal sophomore season and it’s not surprising that the Vancouver Canucks have rumoured interest in the 20-year-old as a possible return from the Florida Panthers in a Roberto Luongo trade package.

The previous regime had that level of interest in the 2007 draft when White was a surprise 25th overall selection — one pick before the St. Louis Blues took David Perron — but he never played a game for the Canucks. White never had more than nine goals in his three college seasons, was traded to the San Jose Sharks in 2009 and spent last season in the third division of the German Oberliga. It was a clear draft-day miss.

However, as much as scouts will tell you that Bjugstad is a can’t-miss prospect whose career is on fast forward, he’s rightfully returning for another season with the Golden Gophers. He has yet to complete a full NCAA season, battled a pair of injuries last season and his production dropped in the second half after 16 goals in his first 20 games.